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Impressing Minds

Impressing Minds

By Kristen

This is no ordinary foster care podcast! I’ll feature Foster care discussions about REAL issues that foster parents have. And…. Learn how to be the most professional foster parent and affect the system, the bio parents, and the children in your home. This podcast is for anyone interested in fostering too! Listen before you take your training or during the training so you will be prepared! I’m excited to meet you so we can change foster care and the little people it serves!
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Currently playing episode

Interview with former foster teen, turned coach and counselor, Melissa Smallwood

Impressing MindsMar 04, 2023

00:00
24:28
Foster Care to Blessing Foster Families

Foster Care to Blessing Foster Families

Listen in to our sweet conversation as my friend Angela shares her story of being in foster care and how her life was radically transformed into being a foster parent and having a foster care ministry. Find out how she felt in foster care and why she decided to want to give back to the community. Also, she will share about her ministry, Foster Blessings, where she created a path to ease the first night placement chaos. (Surprise announcement at the end…)
Jul 28, 202339:52
Foster Care and Your Marriage

Foster Care and Your Marriage

How does foster care affect your marriage? What are some things to do to help strengthen your marriage relationship while planning on Fostering? What are things you can do before, during, and after fostering a child that will help stabilize your marriage and make it better? Find out the answers to these questions, and so much more, in this episode with my friend from Instagram. Her handle is foster care for real. @fostercare_forreal. She and I talk about everything from intimacy to saying no to placements for the safekeeping of your marriage. We discuss how to put your marriage first even when you are in the trenches with fostering children who need special attention. You’re gonna love this episode!
May 09, 202340:16
Abandoned and broken to Overcoming
Mar 22, 202329:30
Interview with former foster teen, turned coach and counselor, Melissa Smallwood
Mar 04, 202324:28
Foster Moms Discuss Realities of Care

Foster Moms Discuss Realities of Care

Join me and Jenny Yost as we discuss all things Foster care - from reactive attachment disorder to support for families who are new to Fostering. Find out some things that can be done differently to create long-lasting relationships in the Fostering community. You won’t wanna miss this episode! #RAD #fostersystemissues

Feb 04, 202301:29:04
Foster Kids Grow Up and Fall In Love

Foster Kids Grow Up and Fall In Love

What’s it like to be in foster care? Justin and Alexis wrote their experiences from foster care and how they’ve overcome obstacles to be a success story. Re-defining Normal is their new book I read in less than a week! It’s full of heartache, lessons, and wisdom. I’m so proud of both, Alexis and Justin, for being set apart and moving to the places where God had set their foundations in advance - despite circumstances that tried to destroy them. Listen in…
Jan 25, 202345:59
Choosing a Foster Care Agency
Oct 29, 202208:23
The Foster Care Interview Process

The Foster Care Interview Process

Are you interested in doing foster care? If so, there are several steps. The first is inquiring and then taking classes. Later on there’s a homestudy. Part of the homestudy is an interview, or two or three interviews. In this episode I’ll talk about what the interview is and how you can make sense of it.
Oct 08, 202213:21
Why Are Children in Foster Care?

Why Are Children in Foster Care?

Have you ever wondered why children go into the foster care system in the first place? In this episode I’ll explain the categories and reasons why children end up in the foster care system.
Oct 08, 202210:57
Foster Care —homestudy process

Foster Care —homestudy process

What is the foster care homestudy process like? Today’s episode will answer what you can expect from the foster care homestudy in a very generic way. Each agency is different, and they look at different elements when they come to interview you and do your walkthrough. This will give you general information and help you understand some of the reasoning behind the questions that they ask and the information they require.
Sep 20, 202210:04
What 5 traits do you need to foster?

What 5 traits do you need to foster?

Find out the five traits you need to be a good foster parent and what to do if you don’t possess one of these traits.
Sep 17, 202207:17
Bedtime, Food, and “No”
Sep 17, 202206:44
Foster Parents: Impress Vale!

Foster Parents: Impress Vale!

Foster Parents—- This is the goal of “impressing minds” season two.
Sep 17, 202203:01
Foster Parents: Impress Value! Introduction to Season 2

Foster Parents: Impress Value! Introduction to Season 2

Are you wondering what it’s like to really foster children? Do you need support for the journey? This is my mini introduction to what I would like you to know about “impressing minds”.
Sep 17, 202203:03
Mona Delahooke, PhD has a book entitled, “Beyond Behaviors”.

Mona Delahooke, PhD has a book entitled, “Beyond Behaviors”.

In this episode I share with you my thoughts and opinions about Mona Delahhooke and her new book “Beyond Behaviors”. Listen to see if this is a quick read or something to slowly digest.
Mar 06, 202209:50
Dr John DeGarmo’s book “Faith and Foster Care”

Dr John DeGarmo’s book “Faith and Foster Care”

Listen to this episode to find out what I think about Dr. John DeGarmo’s book faith in foster care, how we impact God’s kingdom.
Mar 06, 202213:41
The Primal Wound” by Nancy Varrier. A book review.

The Primal Wound” by Nancy Varrier. A book review.

In this episode I review the primal wound understanding the adopted child. This book goes over the adoption process from the child’s point of you especially an infant. Listen to find out if I recommend it or not.
Mar 06, 202210:20
Book Review from Nancy Thomas “When Love is not Enough”

Book Review from Nancy Thomas “When Love is not Enough”

Are you dealing with behaviors that seem to be out of control? Perhaps you should read this book by Nancy L Thomas on reactive attachment disorder. It is a great guide with practical advice and I share some insights in this episode.
Mar 06, 202208:16
Book Reviews Series

Book Reviews Series

Today I’d give a good overview of Pam Parish’s “Ready or Not” series the first one is about a 30 day discovery for parent families growing through foster care and adoption. The second book is “Ready or Not, A 30 Day Discovery for Battle Weary Parents”. Each one should be on the foster families shelf.
Mar 06, 202211:04
Loneliness when Fostering

Loneliness when Fostering

Do you ever feel lonely because you were called to foster? I feel lonely quite often because I have chosen to take on extra children, have a large family, and don’t get invited birthday parties. Ha ha. Seriously, loneliness is a feeling that you feel in various seasons when you do foster care. How do you snap out of it? Can you snap out of it? I talk about my experience with loneliness and hope it resonates with you. I hope I give you hope that this feeling is only seasonal. There will be a joyous day and there is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
Dec 01, 202105:51
How to Motivate Learning in Foster Children

How to Motivate Learning in Foster Children

In this episode you find out ways to increase your child’s academic learning, get them back on grade level, and attach to them - all at the same time. I’ll talk about a capable learner, an attached learner, and an encouraged learner. I’ll talk about motivation types and ways to play games in order to learn. Kids are often behind academically due to socioeconomic status, decreased value of education generationally, and their environment is stressful. We can change the child’s life by giving them a love for learning and an internal motivation to do well in school.
Nov 12, 202105:30
Interview with My Baby, Macie

Interview with My Baby, Macie

In this episode we discuss what it means to be adopted as well as be in foster care. She’s only 6 but wanted to do this with me. We talk about adoption and fostering regularly at our house. I think she did amazing and may have shared a bit too much at the end.
Oct 05, 202106:35
New Book Tea to spill
Sep 29, 202106:49
You’re not alone! THE realistic look at our thoughts and feelings about being a foster mom.

You’re not alone! THE realistic look at our thoughts and feelings about being a foster mom.

Have you ever thought that you weren’t good enough as a foster or adoptive mom? Have you had thoughts of regret? Did you lose your cool with the kids this morning? This episode is for you!
Sep 14, 202112:38
This is My Humble Beginnings Story of my Foster Care Journey

This is My Humble Beginnings Story of my Foster Care Journey

Hello. I think it’s important to understand the background of the people that we follow on social media, podcasts, and those we call our mentor. In this episode, I tell you about the beginning and my foster care journey; how I just wanted to adopt initially; and what I learned from some teenagers in my house. They thought foster care was a wonderful thing and that blew my mind! I hope you enjoy this episode as it brought back so many of my early fostering memories.
Sep 07, 202109:44
“Called to Foster” Book Introduction read by KristenAdkins
Aug 30, 202105:41
Introducing Impressing Minds Podcast

Introducing Impressing Minds Podcast

In this introduction, I talk about the podcast goals. And then in episode one I talk about Fostering from the beginning. How do you know if you want to foster or not. Are you called to foster care? Take a listen. Give me some feedback.
Aug 29, 202106:09
August 29, 2021

August 29, 2021

Aug 29, 202100:53